The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), through its Ports Inspection Directorate (PID), PortHarcourt, has concluded its one day interactive session with Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Executives and other maritime stakeholders.
Speaking at the interactive session which was held on the 19th of May, 2025 at Golden Tulip Hotels, PortHarcourt, the Rivers State capital, Dr. Daniel Kunle Olaniran, Director, Ports Inspection Directorate, said he came on a one day working visit to interact with ANLCA Executives and other maritime stakeholders on some of the products that are under NAFDAC regulation.
He maintained that the interactive session is also an avenue to make some of the initiatives and innovations of NAFDAC known to the stakeholders, adding that NAFDAC is a government licensed agency that takes care of import and export finished products, just like ANLCA is licensed to carry out its mandate in the maritime industry.
Dr. Olaniran further stated that the essence of the interactive session is for stakeholders to ask questions on their activities that are not well understood to them, in order to ensure ease of doing business at the ports.
He, in the meantime, urged freight forwarders to always ask questions on certain items/products before embarking on clearing them, to avoid unnecessary challenges.
During the question and answer session, Dr. Mrs. Chinyere Okere, ANLCA Zonal Secretary, asked to know the reason for freight differential in the services of NAFDAC in Lagos State and in the Eastern Zone, while Chief Obi Chima, ANLCA stakeholder, Chief Tobias Ndukwe, Chief Emeka Nwosu and others, asked to know the reason for job duplication between NAFDAC and Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), whether NAFDAC is a revenue generating agency, inability of NAFDAC to organise regular stakeholders’ meetings and challenges being faced by potential exporters, among others.
Responding, the duo of Dr. Daniel Kunle Olaniran and Mr. Ayankop Ayankpo, emphasised that NAFDAC is a regulatory agency that handles inspection and product analysis with a tariff.
The duo, further disclosed that exporters, whose products are already registered can carry out their export processes online, free of charge, while those that their products are yet to be registered (like garri, etc), will present their products for inspection and analysis, before they are exported.
Dr. Olaniran in the meantime, urged the maritime stakeholders to always make the right declarations in the course of their jobs, in order to enjoy seamless operations at the ports.
In his remarks, Chief Ifeanyi Isikaku (Onwa), ANLCA Chairman, Onne Seaport chapter, thanked Dr. Daniel K. Olaniran for finding time to interact with them and requested him to provide another opportunity for the larger freight forwarders to benefit from it.
He further stated that the issue of Inspectorate Compliance Directorate (ICD) charges as raised, which is under SON, will be taken to them, for a peaceful resolution on the development.
Some of the stakeholders that attended the interactive session include, but not limited to: Pharmacist Chukuma Oligbu, NAFDAC Director, South-South; Pharmacist Bayo Adepoju, Deputy Director in charge of Ports Operations, NAFDAC, PortHarcourt; RFFN Chairman, Onne Seaport chapter; Hon. Eric Kalu Asor, Chairman, Oil & Gas chapter of ANLCA, Onne Seaport, Sir Prominence Ezeoha, President, Imo Freight Forwarders Association of Nigerian and Chief Ijele Ibiam, Chairman, Abia Freight Forwarders, among others.
